Wednesday

With a $97.7 million grant, WHOI will lead in the development, installation and operation of an ocean observation system off the Massachusetts coast along the Northeast's continental shelf.

Founded in 1930, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has had more than its share of innovations, breakthroughs and "stop the presses" discoveries, so it takes some doing to create buzz in the world's foremost marine research facility.

But the recent announcement that WHOI had received a $97.7 million grant — the largest single grant in its history — to help create a vast array of ocean observatories? Well, that seemed to do the trick.

"This will revolutionize the way ocean science is conducted," said Jim Luyten, president and director of WHOI, at a Dyers Dock press conference which, despite best efforts at decorum, had the feel of a victory party.
As part of the National Science Foundation's $331 million Ocean Observatories

Initiative, the Joint Oceanographic Institutions has awarded the $97.7 million to WHOI. In turn, WHOI will lead in the development, installation and operation of an ocean observation system off the Massachusetts coast along the Northeast's continental shelf.

The system will include moored scientific buoys, cabled nodes and autonomous underwater vehicles, which can be remotely controlled by researchers. The idea is to give scientists real-time data 24 hours a day.

"Today is an exciting day for ocean science," said Dr. Holly Given, director of Ocean Observing at JOI. Given added that she and her colleagues look forward to many scientific discoveries in the decades to come.

Several speakers, including Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and state Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, said the grant would be beneficial not only environmentally but also economically.

"We're excited about the research and the jobs which will be created as a result," Murray said.

U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Quincy, echoed those prospects of job creation, not only for Woods Hole but the entire Buzzards Bay region.

"The information revolution has now come to the ocean," Delahunt said.

For Woods Hole native Ian Bowles, now secretary of the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the press conference was a return home.

"Today, we take a big leap forward," said Bowles, adding that it was fitting that the announcement be made in an area that is also home to a vibrant fishing industry and a hub of tourism.

State Rep. Eric Turkington, D-Falmouth, said the $10 million matching investment of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's John Adams Innovation Institute played a pivotal role in landing the federal funds.

"One reason [for the successful grant] was the state put up money on the table as part of the package," Turkington said.

State Rep. Matt Patrick, D-Falmouth, praised the ambitious observatory project but seemed to speak for many when he acknowledged being a bit overwhelmed by the scope of the science involved.

The WHOI partnership includes Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, and Oregon State University's College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. According to WHOI, the award completes the management team to construct and implement the $331.5 million OOI Network.

WHOI officials said the initial 67-month contract is valued at $97.7 million and contains options for five years of operation and maintenance, which would bring total funding for WHOI and its partners to more than $200 million.

The scientific research from the initiative is expected to advance knowledge in a number of areas, from medical and biotechnological advances to the fishing industry to the study of global warming. The information should also provide more accurate weather forecasts and predictions of so-called "red tide" algal blooms.

WHOI is one of the largest employers on Cape Cod. It has a scientific and technical staff of about 370 people and a total employment of approximately 850 people.

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